What To Do In Goa: Family Friendly Itinerary

While surfing on a bright sunny day I met Kyra the Sunshine girl from Lakme`, I immediately took fancy for her urbane charm and intelligence. She was looking ideas to spend the summers in Goa, and I was looking for a good reason to go to Goa, so this was a match made in heavens or Ram Milaee Jodee as they say(take your pick of your favorite saying).

St Xavier’s Church In Old Goa 6666

After exchanging our numbers we decided to meet on the sunny beaches of South Goa. Needless to say, I reached there a few hours ahead of the time and was eagerly waiting for her. There is an old saying that good-looking girls cannot tell time even from a digital watch and guys looking at good-looking girls don’t want to look at the time. Well, finally she arrived a full 2 hours late but still looking fresh like morning dew, just as you would expect from Lakme` Sunshine Girl. So the activity no 1 in Goa is the ever popular Beach hopping, from the calm and clean beaches of South Goa to the full of life, flea markets, and nightlife to match St. Tropez beaches of North Goa. Take your pick but activity number one in Goa is Beach Hopping.

She wanted to know what my plans are for Goa; do I want to go to the Old churches of Goa? Or begin by offering prayers at Shri Mangesh Temple, the Kula Devasthanam of Lata Mangeshkar? Or water sports were on my agenda? Or I was keener to take her for shopping to the many flea markets on the Calangute Beach? Or I wanted to spice up things a bit by checking the hill-side spice farm? Or just enjoy the folk dance while on a boat ride,

Totally opposite to beach hopping is a visit to the temples of Goa, and the most famous of them is Shri Mangesh Temple it should be your activity number 2 if you are the religious type.

Totally smitten by her charm and enthusiasm to explore the beauty of Goa, I was unable to decide what I wanted to do first. So I decided why not start exploring Goa by first trying the mouth-watering delicacies in the many beachside restaurants. She readily agreed for the same and we settled in one of the local shacks serving global cuisine. She ordered lobsters and wine while I ordered some bhajia and Nariyal panee. Your activity number 3 in Goa is trying some Goan as well as other foods right on the beach shacks or one of the fancy restaurants. But please grow up as a traveler and try something new. You can always have aloo parathas or Idli / thepla/ dhokla once you are back. Goa is to try new foods the freshest of seafood and some spicy Goan food that has a big Portuguese influence. And you can always try continental, Russian, German and other food also in Goa depending on which part of the town you are venturing to.

Life in Goa moves at slow pace

She was getting more and more eager to go out rock the laid back pace of good old Goa. Finally, I had the courage to tell her what was really in my mind. I looked in her eyes and cleared my throat and said

“Kyra I know you want to explore Goa and do all things that you mentioned to me, but I have been to Goa many times and have been to all the places and done all the activities that you mentioned.“

I could see a bit of disappointment in her eyes but she continued to listen, so I continued to share my plan.

Folk Dance On A Boat

“…But every time we have been to Goa me and my wife could never spend a single minute of peace together as we were running after the kids. The elder one wanted ice cream and the younger one soup. When the elder one wanted to visit St. Xavier’s church, the younger one at the same time wanted to go to the beach….”

So every time we have been to Goa it has been life as usual for me and my wife no different from back home. But since this time Kyra you have offered to show me Goa, why don’t you take our kids and show them the beach, the church, the market and let them run around the market buying all the shells they want, while me and Missus relax under a shady tree next to beach and sip some Nariyal Panee?

Kyra laughed on my proposal so hard that she forgot to breathe, finally when she caught her breath she laughed some more, and said…

Missus And Elder One At The Fort

“Now I understand why that lady in the corner of the restaurant with two beautiful kids have tried to listen to our conversation. …. I can bet my life she is your wife and they are your kids.”

The activity number 4 on your cards should be to explore the history of Goa from the Old Goa Churches where relics of St.Xavier are on display to small forts, markets museums all are inviting you to discover charms of a part of India that has seen some very intense years in its history from So don’t miss a tour of historical places of Goa.

But the activity that Missus likes most in Goa is activity no 5 and that is Shopping in Goa. Yes, Goa is a great place to do shopping and you should check this other post about Shopping in Goa to get some idea what to buy in Goa.

Yes, I said grinning ear to ear and gave my secret signal to the Missus and the kids to join us.

Missus, Kyra, and kids exchanged greetings and Kyra said…

“Well a deal is a deal is a deal ! and I would love to take your kids to explore Goa, you never know I may rediscover my childhood with them…” she said and winked at the kids.The kids and Kyra hit it off immediately and went to the pool as part of their first adventure in Goa together. As for me and Missus, we are just lying on the beach trying to compete with the vegetation around us to do nothing.

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